Summit Land Conservancy, in concert with Oakley City, has inked a permanent conservation easement over Oakley Trail Park, an 81‑acre expanse that sits at Pinion Lane, near Hoyt Peak and the Uinta Mountains. The easement protects the Pinion Creek watershed, a tributary of the Weber River, and preserves the last reliable source of Oakley’s potable water. While the land remains lush with native sandstone and pine, the public‑use thoroughfare features well‑mapped mountain‑biking, hiking, and equestrian trails, all frozen in time for perpetuity.
From an ROI perspective, the development potential is nil; the easement categorically prohibits any building footprint. Aesthetic value is high—but only for those who pay to view scenery, not to perpetually own it. For the Sponsoring State Planning Commission, the economic calculus translates into a zero‑based investment that costs maintenance but returns no incremental property value. In sum, the Minister recommends a pragmatic stand: Sell the prospect that the easement could otherwise command, and otherwise sue the HOA for any unilateral claims to control this 81‑acre buffer.